Knitting the knots, knotting the knits

I got another beautiful gift. My mum-in-law gave me a knitted blouse, made of 100% unbleached linen, with wooden buttons. It's simply gorgeous.

New piece of garment made me think again of sustainable fibre, something I have already briefly mentioned here. I researched the topic, learned few things, disagreed with few opinions and decided what my top 3 'green fibres' are:

• Linen/Hemp: those two are quite similar when it comes to cultivation and harvesting, with linen being a bit softer, both amazingly versatile
• Cotton: if organically grown and dyed with biodegradable dyes
• Wool: but only when sourced from local farmers to ensure that animals are treated fairly, and spun locally without the use of harsh chemicals

Biggest disappointment - Bamboo! Even though regarded the most sustainable plant on the planet (it grows unbelievably fast and the same plant can be harvested again and again), that peculiar grass needs lots of chemicals in order to be transformed into yarn, and therefore loses its sustainable edge.

For those who want to learn more about sustainable yarn I recommend Greencraft and Alternative Yarn groups on the Ravelry website.